© Reuters / Nigel Roddis
A Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed the figure is much higher than previously thought, with 994 service personnel being admitted to mental health clinics or psychiatric hospitals since 2008.
The figures only go back to 2007, so the true number may be much higher, as Lariam, also known as mefloquine, has been in use for much longer.
The MoD has consistently defended the drug, which is one of several it issues to troops, amid concerns that Lariam is contributing to an Armed Forces mental health epidemic. This is despite growing pressure from senior military figures, campaigners and relatives of those affected.
The drug, banned by US Special Forces two years ago, and which the UK military avoids giving to pilots or divers, is still issued to UK troops.
Its use continues despite evidence linking the anti-malarial to the 2012 Panjwai Massacre, in which a US soldier slaughtered 17 Afghan civilians after taking the drug.
Sergeant Robert Bales has since been sentenced to life imprisonment.
In an internal report, Roche, the drug's manufacturer, described the killings as an "adverse event."
Roche themselves have conceded that the side effects can include "hallucinations, psychosis, suicide, suicidal thoughts and self-endangering behavior" and may induce "serious neuropsychiatric disorders."
The figures come as it was revealed a retired British general, who took the drug during service, is currently in a secure psychiatric unit.
Read the rest of this article at - http://rt.com/uk/250169-lariam-mod-mental-illness/
